The jade egg: A contentious new health trend for women
Gwyneth Paltrow's website has once again promoted some questionable products. Photo: Getty
It’s always a good idea to treat health trends being endorsed by celebrities with caution.
Especially when its Gwyneth Paltrow asking women to insert large, inanimate objects into their bodies in the name of “stronger orgasms”, “vaginal muscle tone” and cultivating “feminine energy”.
Gynaecologists around the world have been up in arms since actor, singer, food writer and businesswoman Paltrow promoted use of jade eggs on her lifestyle website, Goop.
The website now sells the highly contentious item for $US55 and writes that they are a part of ancient Tantric practice, having been used by “queens” and “concubines” throughout the ages.
The item is now sold out on Goop‘s online store,
Goop also claims women of every age can benefit from using the eggs, but Melbourne-based gynaecologist and fertility specialist Dr Alice Huang has some concerns.
“It does depend on the individual,” Dr Huang told The New Daily. “If a woman has a dry vagina – and, perhaps, is in the post-menopausal population, the skin would be more fragile, with less natural lubrication and fluid. So to insert a foreign body could potentially cause tears and lacerations,” she says.
“But being a smooth stone, the chances of that are low.”
Thankfully, the likelihood of developing potentially fatal toxic shock syndrome is also low.
Expert in sexual health and menopausal wellness Dr Debra Wickman notes that, “toxic shock syndrome is very rare, usually seen in menstruating women using high absorbency tampons with prolonged use”.
“Although the jade is porous, it is not absorbent. Jade eggs are not worn during menstruation, do not accumulate blood and they can also be boiled regularly for hygiene.”
Dr Huang even sees parallels between jade eggs and the Kegel muscle exercises and “vaginal weights” used by mainstream gynaecological physiotherapists.
“It rings a similar note… Activating the musculature of the pelvic floor can have lots of long-term benefits,” she says.
“Sometimes when a woman has difficulty with the muscles, to help, a physiotherapist might give a her weights to be held in the vagina.”
Tantra is Love founder Emma Power adds that a good Tantra teacher would never encourage jade egg use without proper instruction or training.
“They’re usually sold or taught with exercises,” she told The New Daily.
“Most teachers offer practices in which you use the egg in conjunction with various techniques that work with both contraction and release of the vagina, much like Kegels.”
Overall, Dr Huang doesn’t see jade eggs as a threat to women’s health.
“Just remember to remove the egg at some stage!” she laughs.
More often, however, women are seeing Dr Huang to have their natural bodily functions normalised.
“Dialogue is always good,” she shared with The New Daily. And, for that, we certainly have the jade egg to thank.
